My friend once said, “I wish I didn’t have to take time to eat or sleep. Wouldn’t it be great to pop a pill that gave you what you needed?” At the time, it sounded good. Think of all the things I could do if I didn’t have to stop to eat or sleep. But if I’m telling the truth, I enjoy both, so I’d miss them. Still, there are times I feel like I don’t have time for pit stops.
But my body needs them. How do you feel when you crash before the finish line? Usually our finish line (a.k.a. the end of our TO DO list) is ridiculous. My husband hears what I hope to accomplish in a day and suggests I half it. And he’s usually right. <eyeroll> Are you naturally ambitious? If so, it’s easy to get harsh with yourself when you run smack into the truth that you’re not a machine. Work out shirts champion pushing and while there’s a time for that, continual pushing makes you weaker, not stronger.
Animals aren’t embarrassed by their need to rest or eat. Why are we?What if we encountered t-shirts and slogans that said: It’s okay to rest. Being tired doesn’t mean you’re weak; it means you’ve worked. Motion doesn’t equal success. Think less; play more. Relax a little. You’re okay. You’re enough. Naps are my jam.
I feel like there’d be a collective sigh of relief. Tense shoulders would drop, clenched jaws release, knees pressing into each other would let go. If we were reading, we’d stop reading SO HARD. If we were eating, we’d stop shoveling it in like we didn’t know when the world will end.
Do you feel driven by a hard master? Do you feel like you’re trying to stay one step ahead of disaster? I think Satan uses that to keep us stressed full-time.
Here’s the couple truths I remind myself of:
- Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden is light. Then who am I killing myself for?
- THIS IS NOT A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION. Because it’s not.
Jesus settled everything on the cross and Isaiah 30:15 says, “In repentance and REST you will be saved.”
So take a pit stop. Jesus will meet you there.
